Seed oils are widely used for a variety of applications. For example, certain seed oils (e.g., sunflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil, cottonseed oil) are edible and are used for cooking and baking. Some seed oils are used in animal feed (e.g., cottonseed oil). Some seed oils are used for therapeutic purposes and/or as dietary supplements (e.g., in the form of consumable liquid or capsule forms). Some seed oils provide benefits in personal care products such as topical cosmetic formulations (e.g., lotions, gels, creams, shampoos, conditioners, tonics, styling products, and makeups). Certain seed oils are used as lubricants and/or as fuels (e.g., as biodiesels). Additionally, some seed oils find use in various commercial products such as paints, varnishes, putties, sealants, and the like. Although seed oils can be used directly (i.e., in as-harvested, “unprocessed” form), seed oils generally decompose rapidly and thus are commonly processed (e.g., “refined”) for storage and use.
Tobacco seeds comprise a significant amount of oil. It has been noted that tobacco seed oil has properties comparable to other vegetable oils and holds promise for various applications, e.g., as a substitute for diesel fuel, as a component of cosmetic products, as a shoe polish, and as a reaction component for the production of alkyd resins. See U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0356295 to Gerardi et al., Jude, Chem. Mat. Res. 3(2): pp. 2224-3224 (2013); Mukhtar et al., Chinese J. Chem. 25(5): pp. 705-708 (2007), and Giannelos et al., Ind. Crops and Products 16(1): pp. 1-9 (2002), which are incorporated herein by reference. It would be desirable to provide methods for modifying the properties of crude tobacco seed oils to render them useful for these and other applications.